This invention relates generally to airborne vehicles, and more particularly, to depicting wind force exerted on an airborne vehicle.
At least some known airborne vehicles have navigation displays for displaying information used by an operator to operate an airborne vehicle. Such navigation displays may display maps to an operator of the aircraft for use in operating the aircraft. In some cases, an operator may manage more than one airborne vehicle. For example, an operator may manage multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Because operators of UAVs are removed from the vehicle, operators do not physically experience accelerations caused by variations in wind. At least some navigation displays compensate for the lack of multi-sensory experience typically enjoyed by pilots of manned aircraft. Without some form of depiction of vehicle-specific vehicle-reported winds, the operator has a greater challenge in accurately planning time/fuel required, selecting approaches, and understanding certain reported states of the vehicle (e.g., significant discrepancy between heading and ground track, attitude upsets, variations in altitude and speed).
At least one known navigation display uses alphanumeric data displays and graphical arrows to display currently sensed wind direction and speed. Such methods typically use alphanumeric displays to depict the direction from which the wind is blowing and speed of the wind. A graphical depiction of the wind in the form of an arrow is often associated with the alphanumeric display, and indicates the direction to which the wind is blowing. Other types of displays address an impact of the wind on vehicle performance, such as a drift indicator in a navigation display. Windshear is often indicated via various graphical, text, and auditory display methods on the navigation display such that only awareness of the likely existence of windshear is provided for.